


listlessly

by nobrainjustchiakienstar



Series: a thousand autumn stars [2]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26273146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobrainjustchiakienstar/pseuds/nobrainjustchiakienstar
Summary: “The ‘fountain’ is being cleaned,” Kanata sighs, “but then I came ‘here’ and just like back ‘then’, Chiaki appeared.”“Back then?”“Remember? The ‘time’ we met.”Chiaki does remember, of course. How could he ever forget cleaning the pool out on his own late at night after school, just to accidentally stumble upon a very lost and naive (and, well… a little strange) Kanata--“Yeah, you licked me.”☆
Relationships: Morisawa Chiaki/Shinkai Kanata
Series: a thousand autumn stars [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905991
Comments: 4
Kudos: 60





	listlessly

**Author's Note:**

> day 2 of my chiaki birthday challenge yeeHAW
> 
> i'm posting it late and taking the hit by backdating but listen... there was a wasp right by my desk my room was off-limits when i first tried writing it and then it just got longer and longer and longer.....
> 
> if you're interested to see the rest, be sure to check out the series this is part of ☆

The erratic weather between winter and spring is always especially harsh on Chiaki, the fluctuation between chill and rain and moderate sunshine making his head ache and chest seize. He always tries his best to seem like it doesn’t affect him, but with graduation fast approaching there’s a lot more to stress about than usual.

He’d been stuck at the school doing paperwork to prepare to transfer leadership of Ryuseitai -- there’s less than a month until Repayfes and graduation shortly after that -- and while the day had started nicely with a clear sky and the lightest breeze, a chill crept in before lunch and wet snow started to fall before classes let out, making Chiaki feel feverish and weak through all of the extra work.

He just wants to go home and sleep it off over the weekend and binge some tokusatsu in bed….

However, as Chiaki walks down the hall from the student council room, he notices a familiar flash of blue in an unlikely place through a window.

He knows running isn't the greatest idea when he's already feeling weak, but seeing Kanata by the pool of all places, especially since it's already dusk and  _ snowing _ , makes his legs move before he can think to do otherwise. Chiaki approaches the pool, panting heavily and shivering despite running, his blazer already getting soaked through by the falling slush.

“Kanata!”

Kanata sways on his feet and for a moment Chiaki fears that he may fall into the empty pool, but Kanata turns to face him with a soft smile. “Chi-a-ki~,” he says, drawing out every syllable more than usual.

Chiaki reaches the side of the pool to stand with him, hunching over and heaving to catch his breath. The cold air  _ really  _ isn’t being kind to him, it stings in his throat and burns as it passes into his lungs. Kanata pats his back comfortingly. Chiaki struggles to ask, “Why are you hanging out at the pool? Wouldn’t your club room be better right now?”

Kanata hums a little tune listlessly before replying, “I came to ‘float’ but there’s no ‘water’.”

“Don’t you normally soak in the fountain? Not that you should be, it’s too cold to be soaking outside, Kanata!” Chiaki straightens, no longer panting but still feeling a little dizzy. Kanata’s hand moves from his back to his arm, as if holding him steady.

“The ‘fountain’ is being cleaned,” Kanata sighs, “but then I came ‘here’ and just like back ‘then’, Chiaki appeared.”

“Back then?”

“Remember? The ‘time’ we met.”

Chiaki does remember, of course. How could he ever forget cleaning the pool out on his own late at night after school, just to accidentally stumble upon a very lost and naive (and, well… a little strange) Kanata--

“Yeah, you licked me.”

A little laugh bubbles up from Kanata at that, and Chiaki swears he feels the pressure in his chest loosen just a little. Kanata shifts just a little closer to Chiaki, linking their arms together. “It’s been a ‘while’ since then...” he trails off as if lost in thought, watching the snow fall and settle in the bottom of the empty pool. If it weren’t so cold, Chiaki could appreciate the moment a lot more -- it’s the picturesque season finale where the heroes return to look over their hometown with the sun setting on the horizon, the main character’s love interest finally resolving their arc, the rest of the team vowing to save the world again, a scene so fitting with their time with Ryuseitai coming to a close within only a few short weeks. Chiaki shudders suddenly, his uniform almost completely soaked through now. “Ah, it’s not ‘good’ for Chiaki to be out like this.”

Chiaki retorts as playfully as he can, “It’s not good for you to be out like this either, you know.”

Kanata simply hums again, taking Chiaki’s hand and guiding him back toward the school building. “Chiaki is always taking ‘care’ of me, so it’s my ‘turn’ to take ‘care’ of Chiaki now~”

Kanata’s hands are always a little clammy, but with his fingers linked with Chiaki’s they feel warmer, much more inviting.

Maybe Kanata feels warm just because Chiaki is  _ freezing _ , his poor circulation really catching up to him with the chill, but Kanata doesn’t drop his hand when they re-enter the building, instead switching to swing their hands between them as he guides Chiaki through the empty halls. Normally Chiaki would be anxious roaming the school after dark, never quite shaking his fear of ghosts and he could swear he’s heard something or some _ one _ moving around in the walls at night, but with Kanata the fear never came.

It only takes minutes for them to arrive at the Marine Life Club’s club room, wet footprints carelessly trailing behind them. Kanata pushes the door open and drags Chiaki inside.

It’s not the first time Chiaki has been in Kanata’s club room, but it’s always a sight to behold every time he visits: massive tanks lining the walls and sat in the center of the room, all filled with all sorts of fish Chiaki could only dream of memorizing all of the names of, the entire room awash with an almost eerie blue glow, yet the room never feels unwelcoming.

“Chiaki,” Kanata calls from somewhere behind him. Chiaki turns to find him setting up a pair of futons on the floor, though he honestly couldn’t tell where Kanata got them from.

Chiaki stares for a moment. He hadn’t expected Kanata to jump to them spending the night at the school together, but he can’t say he’s particularly surprised either. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to stay here, Kanata?”

“Hmmm…” Kanata sets down an extra blanket before approaching Chiaki and pulling the soaked blazer off of his shoulders, “I stay ‘here’ all the time, Kaoru too.”

Feeling like he shouldn’t pry, Chiaki just hums an agreement and makes a note to text his parents that he’ll be staying at the school overnight to avoid walking home in the snow. Surely they’ll understand.

Kanata tosses the wet blazer aside somewhere -- Chiaki supposes it doesn’t matter where since the floor isn’t carpeted and has drains -- and starts loosening his tie before Chiaki snaps to his senses and grabs his hands. “W-wait, Kanata!”

“Hmm? What’s ‘wrong’?”

Chiaki feels his face heating up by the second, which can’t possibly be good for his ongoing headache. “Ah, it’s just,” he stumbles over the words, “I can take care of this part! Do you have a towel or something? I have my practice clothes I could change into.”

Kanata slips his hands out of Chiaki’s with a thoughtful little hum and a nod before turning to rifle through a supply closet. While he searches, Chiaki escapes his wet uniform in favor of his practice clothes, and while they aren’t exactly the most ideal option in terms of clean laundry since he’d intended to take them home to wash, at least they’re dry and significantly warmer than his snow-soaked uniform. He feels a little better already.

By the time he’s finished changing, Kanata has managed to find a towel and invites him to sit on the futons. There’s something oddly tender about the way Kanata pats down his wet hair, like Chiaki’s done for him so many times before, but Chiaki can’t bring himself to comment on it for fear of shattering the atmosphere.

Luckily, it’s Kanata who speaks up first: “I don’t want ‘this’ to end.”

Chiaki doesn’t need to ask for clarification. He doesn’t want anything they have to end either, yet the end is approaching anyway -- the end of their Ryuseitai, the end of their time as students, the end of their arcs in their little hero show.

The silence is deafening.

Kanata’s hands slowly stop rubbing the towel on Chiaki’s hair, but before he can pull his hands away completely, Chiaki reaches for them to hold them in his own hands against his chest.

“Kanata.”   


“Chiaki.”

Chiaki takes a deep breath before continuing, “Whatever comes next, will you stay with me?”

Kanata seems much, much closer than he had been when they first sat down, perched up on his knees as close as he could be without literally being on top of Chiaki and leaning forward into his space even more. Chiaki finds himself wanting to lean closer as well, something magnetic drawing him toward Kanata.

They’re only centimeters apart when Kanata answers after the longest second of Chiaki’s life, “I’ll ‘always’ be with Chiaki.”

They meet in the middle, one of Chiaki’s hands moving to tuck damp blue bangs behind Kanata’s ear as their lips clumsily learn how to move together. Tears wet Chiaki’s cheeks -- not tears of sadness, rather the farthest from it: tears of overwhelming relief, of joy, of raw unfilterable love for Kanata. Chiaki’s chest tightens again, but he’s at least mostly sure it’s not from the change in air pressure this time because his heart feels like it could burst.

Eventually they part and Chiaki can’t help but stare as Kanata licks his lips.

“Salty.”

**Author's Note:**

> third is gonna be kaoruuuu ☆
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/shiinyniki)


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